Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz said during a meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the Royal Palace on Tuesday that Pakistan had played a vital role in the war against terrorism and the country’s prosperity was important for Saudi Arabia. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Gilani agreed to enhance cooperation in trade and economy and decided that a road map would be devised for joint ministerial commission and foreign ministerial level dialogues. The two leaders also agreed to launch joint efforts for peace and stability amongst the Muslim Ummah.
King Abdullah told Gilani about his conversation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, both of whom believed that things were moving in the right direction and expressed the desire to live peacefully for the sake of regional stability. Gilani thanked Saudi Arabia’s government for helping victims of earthquakes and floods in Pakistan. He said the Muslim Ummah was facing multiple challenges and cooperation from Saudi Arabia was needed to overcome these problems. The prime minister briefed the Saudi king on economic challenges faced by Pakistan and also discussed the Afghan situation.
He also discussed the impact of the US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan on the region. Gilani told the Saudi leader that Pakistan’s nukes were safe and said reports that they had fallen into the wrong hands were baseless. He said his government respected the superior courts, adding that the constitution was brought back to its original shape during his tenure. Sources said the sale of defence equipment such as tanks and armoured cars to Saudi Arabia was also discussed in the meeting. The two leaders also exchanged views on the current situation in North Africa, Afghanistan and Middle East, sources added.
